Hi Everyone,

I am contemplating whether to sell or repurpose my stock EX490. Just curious which options prove to be the most successful or popular.

Does anyone use theirs to backup another NAS? (ex. QNAP)? Another option is to use as a focused server...

--
Doug

You must have moved to something else:
So what else you are using will help figuring out which way to go. My 2 cents in general on these servers is:
[Bad]
1) They aren't getting any younger and new replacement parts, there are none, except maybe power supplies, cpu, memory..
2) If you stay stock you are kind of limited by (4) 2TB bays. If you go outside the box esata or USB then that can be a problem.
3) Microsoft has all but abandoned the home server line and HP wants to forget they built them.

[Good]
1) It's a tight little package that if taken care of works really good. DE/Lights/Access from everywhere.
2) Watch the drives and keep it clean and it will just keep going.
3) The data on the drives is readable outside the box on any windows PC (data is pretty safe)

So,
Some people use them just to backup all the pc's in the house, some just to hold all the movies, some just for all the pictures, some just for music.
Some are going with newer OS'es but then you start running into problems like needing a vga cable so you can see what is going on.
Price wise I am buying these boxes as low as $50 and as high as $300 for a refurb x510. Most are going for around $150-$200.

One thing for sure, if you stick with it you are going to want to pickup some spare parts to keep it going down the road. You can see my list on boxes, a few are for testing future ideas and some are just for spare parts.

Hope this helps!

_________________
[X510 CPU/RAM/All 2 TB Red's] [X510 CPU/Sync'ed Backup/All 2 TB Hitachi's]
[X510 /2 in box]
[X710 LIAN LI DIY W2016E] Stablebit Drivepool [EX-503 LIAN LI 5-bay USB3 External]
Fear the Cloud

Gardian,

Thanks for the detailed response. I can potentially see two options for my needs.

- To backup my new primary NAS (QNAP 569L)
- Install Windows server 2012 for fun and maybe to gain some experience with this OS.

My challenge...it doesn't appear my new Linux based server plays that well with the home server for backups. Honestly, I also miss the tight Windows 8 library integration on the 490.

Can I realistically install 2012 Server without upgrades? I see you own a 490 with Windows 2012 Server. Was it a relatively positive experience?

It seems like asking $150 for my unit is reasonable with its condition.

Seems like you sold the unit already so not much use in discussing what to do with an MSS. As for the Win8 backups they do work so its hard to determine what that was all about. The one thing I will tell you honestly is that WHS and WS2012E do a fine job backing up clients but if that's what your looking to do then forget about WS2012E because its too expensive and WHS2011 will support a wider range of Windows version XP-Win8 where as WS2012E only supports Win7 and Win8. The Client backup solution is great and if you have ever performed a client recovery you will know just how well it works. You do not need to spend a fortune to build a server just for backups

A NAS has its pro's and con's which I will leave to others to get into. I use to run a NAS and it served me well for many years but it was the client backup solution that WHS offered that caught my attention and since then moved away from a NAS solution although some are repurposing their MSS as a NAS. For me a server solution opens up a ton of possibilities and flexibility that a NAS does not but a NAS is a faster solution for central file storage.

Its a shame I missed your post about selling your server because I would of taken it off your hands but my guess is Gardian got it and if he buys anymore servers he is going to have to build an addition onto his house just to store them (Kidding) I am just as guilty as he is in this area but I go through them and then sell them locally and I have them also for spare parts. I also use the MSS to handle tasks I do not want my primary server to handle sort of splitting up the work load so to speak and its not that my primary server can not handle it its just I really like the MSS and want to stay active in the MSS community. Sometimes its just fun finding things you can do with them but for those who I know will outgrow them or have needs which will push the limits of the MSS I always recommend a DIY Build but for those with limited needs the MSS is still the way to go.

_________________
Exploring the possibilities!

Migrated from WHS2011 to WS2012E: HIGHLANDER

~ Norco 4220 Enclosure
~ Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5
~ AMD Phenom II X4 995 3.2 GHz
~ 8 GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
~ 3 Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8

Yes, you are right. I did end up selling the home server yesterday. I should have probably updated this thread.

Even though I didn't participate much...I will say this community is really great and I have benefited from a few posts over the years!

I don't think I bought it, I'm not sure anymore. Anyway, You still found an awesome place to find out all kinds of cool stuff on data/media/connectivity/etc.
Some just need a NAS I like Comp, saw more in the little servers then what I was doing. I was using old used work stations for file servers. Big, loud, hot, old, but cheap.

You could have installed win2012E on that hardware, I am testing that setup now an it's doing great.. But, since you have gone down that road, if you need any win2012E tips keep checking back. The DIY thread has some cool builds in it also.
GoodLuck

_________________
[X510 CPU/RAM/All 2 TB Red's] [X510 CPU/Sync'ed Backup/All 2 TB Hitachi's]
[X510 /2 in box]
[X710 LIAN LI DIY W2016E] Stablebit Drivepool [EX-503 LIAN LI 5-bay USB3 External]
Fear the Cloud